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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

J. JOHNSON AND R. LAPHAM, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

WATER-GAGE FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,836, dated October 19, 1858.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, Josnii JOHNSON and RUFUs LAPHAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Water-Gage for Steam-Boilers; and we do hereby declare that `the following is a full, clear, and enact` description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a front elevation of the gage as attached to a steam boiler; Figs. 2, 3, and 4, sections taken at the lines A, B, C, of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 another s ection taken at the line D of Fig. 4.

The same letters indicate like parts in `all the figures.

Our said invention relates to improvements on what is known as the glass water gage for indicating the height of water in steam boilers. As heretofore constructed and connected with the boiler the use of these glass gages has been attended with serious diiiiculties.

The tube being made of glass, which expands and contracts under the changes of temperature much less than the metal of the boiler and the connections, is very liable to be broken by reason of such unequal expansion and contraction. But the most serious diiiiculty heretofore experienced in the use of such gages arises from the liability of the passages leading from the boiler to the glass tube to become choked or stopped up in consequence of which the gage fails to indicate the height of water in the boiler, there being no convenient mode of giving access to such passages for cleaning them while the boiler is in use.

The object of our said invention is to provide remedies for the defects above indicated, and with this View our said invention consists in forming the bore at each end of the glass tube slightly conical or Haring outward in combination with an elastic conical plug at each end fitted thereto. And it also consists in holding the glass tube in place by means of an adjustable plug tted by a cylindrical stem to a cylindrical hole in the bracket piece which forms the attachment of the gage to the boiler, whether the said plug be fitted with a conical elastic sleeve or any other mode of packing, so long as the said plug is so adjustable and formed with the required passage for connecting the tube with the inside of the boiler. By this means the glass tube is firmly held at both ends in such manner as to insure steam tight joints while at the same time by reason of the conical or slightly tapering form of the elastic plugs fitted to the ends of the glass tube ample provision is made :tor the unequal expansion and contraction of the parts, and by fitting one of the said plugs in the manner indicated whether with the conical sleeve or other packing it can be readily taken out and put in and secured in place or adjusted to varying lengths by a temper screw or other equivalent means, so that the glass tube can be taken out and replaced in a moment. And our said invention also consists in combining with and interposing between the boiler and each Aend of the glass tube and in the passages leading to the ends of the glass tube two or three way cocks, one for each end of the said tube, which said cocks answer the three fold purpose first, of opening Ior closing the passages from the boiler t0 the gage tube; second, of the ordinark gage cocks to determine the height of water in the boiler when from any reason the engineer does not wish to rely on the indications of the glass tube, and third, of forming an open passage in which a rod may be inserted to clear out any matter which may lodge in the passages tending to choke or stop them up. And our said invention also consists in combining with the foregoing combination of the gage cocks with the boiler and glass tube a lateral passage in each block of metal or head of the brackets connecting with the passages leading from the boiler to the glass tube, the said lateral passages being provided with screw or other equivalent plugs to give access for the purposes of cleaning out any choking matter which may lodge in the passages between the gage cocks and the ends ot the glass tube.

In the accompanying drawings a represents a portion of the head of a steam boiler of any kind, and b two metallic brackets firmly attached thereto, and projecting therefrom, the one 7) below the water level in the boiler when the water is at the res quired height, and the other above the said water level. A hole c c is made through the entire length of the said brackets and extending to the inside of the boiler, so that when these holes are notclosed, and t-he water is at the required level in the boiler steam will escape from the upper hole c and water from the lower one c. hole d d is made through the head of each of the said brackets at right angles to, and intersecting the holes c c. At the intersection of the holes 0 el, and c d, in each. bracket there is placed what is termed a gage cock e e, with one hole or passage f j", passing directly through the body of each, and also another hole or passage g g at right angles to, and branching out from the hole or passage f f.

From the under side of the upper bracket a metallic plug z/ projects downward, which plug' is bored with a hole z" (see Fig. which communicates with the hole Z in the bracket b. The end of this plug is fitted with a conical sleeve of vulcanized india rubber or other equivalent elastic substance. And the lower bracket b is also provided with a plug /L the end of which is in like manner fitted with an elastic conical sleeve. But this plug is made of greater length and with a cylindrical stem fitted like the gage cocks to the bracket, and its bore is intersected by a lateral hole which may be considered a continuation of the hole or passage Z in the bracket: and the lower end of the said plug is enlarged and provided with a stop cock to open or close the bore of the plug whenever it may be desired to discharge the contents of the glass tube to be presently described.

The glass gage tube y' is made as usual with a cylindrical bore, but the bore at'the ends is made tapering outward to correspond in shape with the conical form of the elastic sleeves on the two plugs.

To insert the glass tube the lower plug is drawn out, the upper end of the tube slipped over the sleeve of the upper plug, and then the lower plug is forced into the lower end of the tube and secured in place by a temper screw tapped into the hole Z which answers also as a screw plug to one end ot that hole or passage. A wire frame Z placed around the glass tube as a mere protector to the glass.

By the mode ot holding the glass tube at each end by means of the elastic conical .A lateralY plugs steam tight joints are secured, the glass tube can be readily taken out and replaced, and the breaking of the glass tube by the unequal expansion of the parts is prevented, as a very slight yielding of the elastic plugs will compensate for a considerable variation in the expansion and contraction, and by reason of the cylindrical stein of the plug with its elongated hole or passage it can be adjusted to any variation in length. By turning the gage cocks in the position represented in the drawings the communications are established between the boiler and both ends of the gage tube, and by taking out the plug screws m m a rod can be inserted for cleaning out the holes or passages CZ cZ; and when the gage cocks are turned in the position represented by red lines then the communications between the boiler and the glass gage tube are closed, and established with the atmosphere to act as t-he ordinary water gage cocks, and also to admit a rod to clear out any incrustation or other impediment from the holes or passage c c.

p The holes or passages d d instead of pass' ing entirely through the heads of the bracketsfmay be made to extend only from one side to the gage cock. And although we prefer to hold the tube by means of the conical elastic plugs, nevertheless these may be dispensed with and the ends of the tubes packed in any other way provided one ot the plugs is connected in the manner described by its cylindrical stem.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent as an improvement on the well known glass gage for steam boilers is- The hollow plugs L and 7i with conical stem iitting into the glass tube, and the elongated vhole or passage 7a2; in combination with the screw 7s for adjusting the plugs operating as described and for the purposes set forth.

JOSEE JOHNSON. RUFUS LAPHAM. lVitnesses:

TIMOTHY LYoNs, A. F. LAPHAM. 

